1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for reading and writing information on a stand alone magnetic card or disk typically adapted for use in standard three and one-half inch computer floppy disk drives. In particular, the present invention is an improvement of the magnetic cards or disks disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,774,618 (Raviv), U.S. Pat. No. 5,107,099 (Smith) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,297,570 (Kowalski), the disclosure from each of which is expressly incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
Magnetic storage and retrieval systems using substantially circular rotatable magnetic disks are well known in the art and commonly used with modern personal computers. Such personal computers typically include floppy disk devices utilizing standard three and one-half inch floppy disks and/or five and one-quarter inch floppy disks. The standard three and one-half inch floppy disk is prevalent over the standard five and one-quarter inch floppy disk due to its smaller size and larger storage capacity. Both types of disks are typically housed in a rigid or semi-rigid outer shell functionally necessary to permit the floppy disk to rotate within the floppy disk drive of a computer and traverse read/write heads for data storage and retrieval.
Various types of storage media known in the art include magnetic strips or limited sections of magnetic media detachably affixed to cards of varying size and material. Such cards typically include credit cards, passkeys, and paper or cardstock fare cards with various devices available to read such cards. Specifically, Raviv (4,774,618) discloses a business card containing a detachable magnetic strip for storing information retrievable by a floppy disk drive of a personal computer. The magnetic strip may be detached from the business card and placed in a carrier for insertion into a floppy disk drive of a computer for information storage and retrieval. Alternatively, the entire business card may be placed in the carrier and inserted into a floppy disk drive of a computer for information storage and retrieval.
Smith (5,107,099) discloses a magnetic card reader where a credit card sized memory card contains a plastic base and a magnetic layer capable of magnetic recording and playback. An apparatus for reading and writing the credit card sized memory card contains a rotatable disk with an opening for the card whereby the card is inserted in the opening of the disk to be rotated with the disk to pass read/write heads for data manipulation.
Kowalski (4,297,570) discloses a strip for magnetically receiving information bonded to a paper substrate.
The prior art suffers from several disadvantages. Floppy disks typically have cumbersome and limiting physical characteristics requiring specific size and dimensions in order to be operable in the corresponding computer floppy disk drive. Further, a disk or group of disks with a rigid or semi-rigid outer shell are cumbersome if carried in a pocket or wallet, and have substantial weight thereby increasing the costs and burden of delivering, shipping or mailing the disks. Paper or plastic cards with a fixed magnetic medium have a storage capacity of a fraction of the capacity of a standard floppy disk (three and one-half inch or five and one-quarter inch disks) since large quantities of surface area of the paper or plastic cards do not contain fixed magnetic media and therefore cannot be utilized for storage. Further, the cards are unable to rotate in a standard three and one-half inch floppy disk drive, thereby impeding the potential of such cards for use in standard computer floppy disk drives.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved method and apparatus for storing and retrieving data from a standard three and one-half inch floppy disk drive.
It is another object of the present invention to increase the storage capacity of stand alone magnetic cards or disks while enabling the cards or disks to be compatible with standard three and one-half inch floppy disk drives.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide an adapter to enable stand alone magnetic cards or disks to rotate within a standard three and one-half inch floppy disk drive in order to traverse read/write heads for data storage and retrieval.
Still another object of the present invention is to enable stand alone magnetic cards or disks to be of varying shapes capable of rotation within the standard three and one-half inch floppy disk drive for information storage and retrieval.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved floppy disk drive for direct insertion of a stand alone magnetic card or disk into the floppy disk drive of a computer for information storage and retrieval.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a method of controlling the read/write heads of a standard three and one-half inch floppy disk drive to accommodate the varying rotational patterns of the differing shapes of stand alone magnetic cards or disks.
The aforesaid objects are achieved individually and in combination, and it is not intended that the present invention be construed as requiring two or more of the objects to be combined unless expressly required by the claims attached hereto.
According to the present invention, a method and apparatus for reading and writing information on a stand alone magnetic card or disk is accomplished by a stand alone plastic or paper card or disk containing a magnetic medium. The card or disk includes a magnetic medium on either one or both sides of the card or disk covering substantially the entire surface area of the respective side. The card or disk is typically arranged in varying layer configurations including the fundamental card or disk structure (typically a paper or cardstock substrate, or a plastic or synthetic based material), one or more magnetic medium layers substantially similar in size to the card or disk structure and substantially covering the surface area of the card or disk structure, and one or more bonded protective layers (typically thermoplastic, paper or paper/synthetic composite material) to cover the magnetic medium. The cards or disks may be of varying shapes including polygonal, elliptical or oval, circular, rounded as well as non-symmetrical shapes. The card or disk is placed in an adapter either subsequently inserted into or permanently disposed within a floppy disk drive wherein the card or disk is engaged frictionally or mechanically by the adapter such that torque from the floppy disk drive is transferred to the adapter causing the card or disk to rotate about an axis perpendicular to the plane of the card and have the magnetic medium traverse read/write heads for information storage and retrieval. In response to the initial positioning of the card within the floppy disk drive of a computer, a code for a disk format pre-stored on the card or disk is read and processed by the computer in order to determine the proper control for the read/write heads during rotation of the card or disk based upon the shape of the card or disk.
The above and still further objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description of a specific embodiment thereof, particularly when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference numerals in the various figures are utilized to designate like components.